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Long Beach accepts $500,000 Irvine Foundation grant for workforce development
Summary
City council approved acceptance of a $500,000 James Irvine Foundation grant to fund career-development efforts; Black community groups pressed the city for details on allocation and local partnership.
The Long Beach City Council approved acceptance of a $500,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation to support workforce development programs, voting on the measure as part of the consent calendar on Feb. 4.
The grant (agenda item 14) drew substantial public comment from local Black worker advocates who urged the city to specify how funds will be allocated to older workers, transgender and gender-nonconforming workers, and Black workers. "This $500,000 grant on agenda item 14 from James Irvine Foundation presents a critical opportunity to address economic inequities and create meaningful career development pathways," said Dana Nickerson of the Long Beach Black Workers Center during public comment.
The Long Beach Black Workers Center asked the city to provide a budget breakdown and a 90-day seat at the table to shape programming, saying the funds should align with the reconciliation framework the city adopted in 2020. "We ask how the Long Beach Black Workers Center can be a part of this conversation," Nickerson said. Audrina Redmond, a founding leader with Black Lives Matter Long Beach, urged the council to couple workforce funding with mental-health and housing interventions and invoked recent local policing incidents while pressing for accountability in parallel systems of public safety and services.
Mayor Rex Richardson and staff signaled support for community engagement. During the meeting, the mayor introduced Jaime Gutierrez, identified as Long Beach’s new executive director for workforce development, who raised his hand and was invited to connect with the Black Workers Center. The consent item passed; the clerk recorded the outcome as "Motion is carried." The motion did not include a detailed allocation schedule on the council floor.
Why it matters: Advocates say targeted workforce funding can reduce economic disparities and support local hiring, but they asked the council for transparent program design and measurable commitments tying the money to jobs, apprenticeships and wraparound services. The city’s next steps are to finalize grant-acceptance documentation and coordinate with the Office of Economic Development on program design and community outreach.
The vote on acceptance occurred as part of the consent calendar and was carried by the council.
